The car came out sliding wildly from a side street. Its driver had just run a STOP sign. The driver, traveling too fast for the road conditions, tried avoiding the car on the main road. Suddenly that driver felt and saw the out-of-control vehicle as it slammed into his car, side-swiping it at an angle. That second car was also sliding on the hazardous road. An ice storm and then snow had recently moved through the area.
All of this mayhem was caught on the dash cam of a third vehicle. He also became a victim of the “slip-sliding away” STOPsign runner.
This third driver, however, whose vehicle was hit head-on by the car of the careening driver, was then heard reporting the incident on his police cruiser radio. Uh, oh!
Have you ever had a day like that? You leave home for an important destination only to find yourself careening one way or another. Your life is out of control.
Even well-known men in the Bible had days like that. In 2 Samuel 11:1-27, there’s the story of King David looking too long at another man’s wife. Uh, oh, David ran the STOP sign.
Bathsheba’s husband was away on military duty. David wanted her - the wife of another man. Now his life was careening out of control. Then the woman told David about her pregnancy. David was sent careening into a head-on collision with the prophet of God. David had Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, killed on the front line of battle. He thought, “Well, problem solved!” Nope!
God sent his prophet, Nathan, to confront David. Nathan told David the story about a wealthy landowner who took his poor neighbor’s little ewe lamb, so precious that it was like a daughter. The wealthy man slaughtered it, preparing meat for a guest, though he had many sheep of his own he could have slaughtered.
King David was incensed. He said, “Surely the man who has done this deserves to die.” Convicted! Nathan said, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). Nathan went on, saying, “Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?“
Whenever we disobey God we are doing evil. The Lord has provided a way to His forgiveness for those who do evil. God has provided a way for you to be forgiven. Thankfully. His name is Jesus, the One who died for you!
David came to his senses, but there were grave consequences. In the same chapter, read verse 13! See how merciful God is toward you? However, “the child…born to you shall surely die!” (verse14). This sounds harsh, but sin is very serious to God. It cost Him His very own Son, who died on a cross for you. This is no joke! “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We’re all under the same dilemma. You need His forgiveness before it is forever too late! All this sin, and yet David was called by God Himself, “A man after My heart” (Acts 13:22). Are you a person after God’s heart? That requires repentance.